English Literacy Strategies Improving adolescent literacy should be at the top of every English educator's list of priorities. In addition to being vital to understanding works and texts in an English literature curriculum, the practice of honing and improving one's own literacy has an incalculable amount of transfer in collecting, evaluating and criticizing information collected from any source, literary or otherwise. Strategy 1 - Students' Schemata Before entering our classrooms, students have so much prior knowledge that ranges from family and cultural experiences to subjects studied in past classes. It’s our job as educators to figure out ways to harness this knowledge so that students can build meaningful connections to what they’re reading on what they already understand. Strategy 2- Rereading
One oft-overlooked strategy for increasing comprehension is rereading. Rereading flies under the radar because it is often an untrained habit that develops spontaneously and unnoticeably among accomplished readers. Students should use a variety of strategies, including an evolving and systematic approach to vocabulary building, in conjunction with each another to control comprehension and wring the most possible information out of a piece of text.
Strategy 3- Features of Expository Text
Knowing what to look for when reading a text is half the battle to understanding its meaning. When students are given a text, we can not assume they know how to pick out important information, process that information, and make connections to everyday living. As high performing educators, it is our responsibility to assist in showing students what to look for and how to pull important information when reading different genres of texts.
Strategy 4 - Graphic Organizers
The use of graphic organizers in the classroom is not a new idea. Many teachers in all content areas use this simple tool to help students with their reading comprehension. Graphic organizers, like students, come in all kinds of shapes and sizes; however, it is up to the teacher to discover the type that works best with each student.
Improving adolescent literacy should be at the top of every English educator's list of priorities. In addition to being vital to
Strategy 1 - Students' Schemata
Before entering our classrooms, students have so much prior knowledge that ranges from family and cultural experiences to subjects studied in past classes. It’s our job as educators to figure out ways to harness this knowledge so that students can build meaningful connections to what they’re reading on what they already understand.
Strategy 2 - Rereading
One oft-overlooked strategy for increasing comprehension is rereading. Rereading flies under the radar because it is often an untrained habit that develops spontaneously and unnoticeably among accomplished readers. Students should use a variety of strategies, including an evolving and systematic approach to vocabulary building, in conjunction with each another to control comprehension and wring the most possible information out of a piece of text.
Strategy 3 - Features of Expository Text
Knowing what to look for when reading a text is half the battle to understanding its meaning. When students are given a text, we can not assume they know how to pick out important information, process that information, and make connections to everyday living. As high performing educators, it is our responsibility to assist in showing students what to look for and how to pull important information when reading different genres of texts.
Strategy 4 - Graphic Organizers
The use of graphic organizers in the classroom is not a new idea. Many teachers in all content areas use this simple tool to help students with their reading comprehension. Graphic organizers, like students, come in all kinds of shapes and sizes; however, it is up to the teacher to discover the type that works best with each student.
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